Pro-family delegations declared victory today on the wording of the UN
Draft Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, claiming that delegations
from the European Union and Canada failed in their efforts to use the document
to impose what some describe as a gay-rights agenda -- including gay marriage
-- on the rest of the world. According to one delegate, " What the
UN intended to be a noble and good document, a document meant to stop the
spread of HIV/AIDS, these delegations attempted to turn into a gay rights
document. But, through an amazing turn of events, the whole gay rights
agenda was unsuccessful."

A number of delegations were pleased that the category of 'men having sex
with men' was deleted from a list of 'vulnerable groups' that require special
protection from HIV/AIDS, such as babies at risk of infection from breast
milk. One delegate said that some countries sought to link homosexual men
with such passive victims of HIV/AIDS in order to insulate homosexual men
from criticism, and to blur the fact that homosexual men choose to engage
in risky sexual behavior. " Aren't homosexual men in any way responsible
for the spread of the disease?" wondered a delegate from the Holy
See. " Aren't they morally accountable in a way in which babies are
not?"

The delegate stated that this language shows the true ideological motivation
of some countries; if the homosexual agenda conflicts with the goal of
slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS, the homosexual agenda will win out. Furthermore,
the Holy See delegate contends that the AIDS crisis has been used this
week as an excuse to invent new rights for homosexuals, such as same-sex
marriage. " They tell us that, because of AIDS, we have to accept gay
marriage. But I simply don't see the logic of how the legalization of gay
marriage will stop the spread of the epidemic."

The US and some Islamic countries shared the Holy See's objections to the
draft language. In fact, the US delegation managed to insert an acknowledgment
that 'risky and unsafe behavior' actually contributes to the spread of
AIDS. The US also won inclusion of language about the effectiveness of
sexual abstinence and fidelity, terms usually greeted with ridicule by
some other countries.

In the final days, the conference almost failed to reach consensus because
of a proposal sponsored by the EU and Canada. These countries argued that
the declaration should refer to a little-known UN document on human rights,
titled the " United Nations International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and
Human Rights." When other countries actually examined these guidelines,
they discovered that they would be expected to legalize gay marriage, promote
abortion for women and girls, provide wide-ranging reproductive services
to children without their parents consent, legalize prostitution, and transform
their legal systems. The document also proposed legal sanctions against
anyone guilty of 'villification' of same-sex relationships. Many delegations
saw this an attempt to advance a radical agenda by stealth, since very
few countries would agree to such proposals if they were mentioned explicitly.
Because of the insistence of the US and a number of Islamic countries,
the reference to these guidelines will not appear in the final declaration.